


Forget Me Not.

by KanekiVargas



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: <3, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, M/M, More tags to be added, OC, captain america is shaking his head cuz LANGUAGE, feels parade, haise sasaki is chuck norris, i can't add too many tags rn because ill spoil it, oc Shinobu Misra, shino is a non binary cinnamon roll, smut free, tw blood, tw violence, woohoo!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-27 02:14:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6265573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KanekiVargas/pseuds/KanekiVargas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sky full of stars, seemingly endless. Incomprehensible. Yet, with his best friend in the whole world sitting right beside him, he felt he could tackle anything.<br/>Absolutely anything.<br/>“Hey, Kaneki?” He said, filling the comfortable silence that settled between them; yet disturbing nothing.<br/>“Yes, Hide?”<br/>“Promise you’ll never forget me?”<br/>------------------------------------------<br/>When tragedy strikes, one must learn how to begin again... in more ways than one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

_ Two children stood facing each other, their faces bright and carefree. They were engaged in a tournament of rock-paper-scissors, and this final round was a big deal, thank you very much. The breeze played a gentle, merry song, whistling as it swayed the new blooms of spring. This area had an abundance of a famous cobalt flower. The sun bore its rays proudly, providing warmth to all.  _

_ “Rock, paper, scissors… SHOOT!” They exclaimed simultaneously. It was immediately followed with a groan and a laugh. _

_ “Aww, mannn, you always win the game point!” The first cried, his mouth in a mock pout but his honey brown eyes lit with amusement.  _

_ “It’s so easy to predict what you’re going to go with, though,” giggled the second, his typically shy and reserved demeanor non-existent. “I could see it in your eyes that you would pick scissors!”  _

_ “Okay, mister psychic, you can have my fruit roll up tomorrow-”  _

_ “-Every day this week, you mean?”  _

_ “Poop, I was hoping you didn’t hear that.”  _

_ A moment of silence, only interrupted by the melody of the wind… _

_ And then, both fell to the ground, clutching their stomachs in roaring laughter.  _

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the sun hid timidly behind grey clouds. (Almost as if it were ashamed.) 

 

(It seemed impossible for it to return; nothing was how it used to be.)

 

People stood stiffly in soggy grass, their black shoes squishing in the mud as they shifted around. Some held flowers, others handkerchiefs, but they all wore a false mask of strained pity. Their words of apology and condolences were made obsolete by their unfeeling, bored eyes. Uncaring. 

As They each stepped up, one by one, to adorn the humble monument with unfittingly joyful looking perennials, they shook their heads and walked away. 

Ah, it was his turn. The final person.

One person, standing on his own, rain pattering around him.

He brushed a lock of golden hair behind one ear, took a deep breath, and approached him- or, at least. what was left of him. The bleached blond, upon seeing the framed photograph of the one who defined the last ten years of his life, fell to his knees. The suit he wore was nearly drenched, dark fabric clinging to his shoulders.  

He tightly clutched the arrangement of pale, blue flowers in his hand. He was trying so, so hard not to cry like a pathetic child; he bit his lip until it drew blood, yet he still could not suppress the gasping sob that shook his shoulders. 

_ Oh, Kaneki… _

_ Rabbits die of loneliness, you know. _


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to hinata2kill for betaing! :)  
> Please enjoy this chapter.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Two sets of shiny black shoes, splashing against the drenched sidewalks of Tokyo, Japan. Two individuals, clad in stark uniforms and ominous briefcases in hand.

Many would say there wasn't a soul in the street, even with the two people strutting in silence; the reason for this conclusion was the current occupations of the strolling citizens.

You see, these two weren't your typical nine-to-five office type. They were investigators for the Commission Counter Ghouls- more commonly, and conveniently, referred to as the CCG.

In all honesty, the mere sight of them wearing their crisp white coats (that almost had the appearance of glowing, day or night) and tightly gripping the black cases was enough to make anyone, man or ghoul, tread with a bit of extra care- oh, not to mention the agitated facial expression one held. Likely because of the rain (that had, literally, the shittiest timing ever) …

Oh, wow. Would you look at that, the other began to dance like Bambi or something in the pouring and relentless downfall from mother nature above.

Terrifying.

“This isn’t the time, Misra…” demurred the first, grey eyes raising the other a silent warning. He was typically quite friendly and easygoing, but when it came to his work, he was extremely focused. Passionate.

The other stopped dancing (for the most part), and quickly came to walk- no, more like, skip? - next to their superior. Failing miserably to look professional and suppress their impish smile, they pushed their platinum blond bangs back from their face, which was now completely soaked.

Ah, Shinobu was always contagiously merry. One couldn’t help but crack a grin just being around them. I mean, even in the somber rain, on isolated streets, when everyone would rather be warm and inside marathoning Supernatural and K-drama with a bag of Pucca and their cat-

Well, maybe Rank One Sasaki Haise, who was now also smiling, was the only person who chose such lame ways to spend his down time.

The two investigators walked together, a comfortable silence settled between them.

All of a sudden, Shinobu held up a hand and jolted to a stop, still as a tree. Haise knew what this meant. As aloof as they may seem, Rank Two Misra had the ears of a cat. That was part of the reason he got so relaxed even in larger operations- “Cockiness will be your downfall,” Haise would scold them. Shinobu would always wave it off with a grin and another reassurance.

Gripping his case, a bit tighter, his lips pressed together, waiting for the next signal from his subordinate. Misra closed his eyes and did nothing for what felt like forever. Finally, their hand quickly pointed in the direction of an alleyway, and off the pair went, running down the dark path, white coats fluttering out behind them.

They were searching for the bothersome ghoul Tse Tse; a fairly obvious individual whom, rather than eating people, chose to pluck unsuspecting victims from the streets and proceed to drain them of all the blood in their body- and, of course, leave the hollow leftovers lying on the ground in back alleys. Haise still shuddered at the memory of investigating the corpses…

“The Binge Drinker,” Shinobu had said once (in a meeting). “Bloodoholic.”

(Everyone, save for Juuzou Suzuya who’d laughed like a drunkard, had stared at them in shock.)

Rounding another corner, Haise saw a blur in the corner of his eye. There you are…  

They ran and ran, sprinting through the maze-like grounds of inner Tokyo. Up ahead, there was a figure- wait, where they running backwards?

What an odd ghoul.

“Wow, they sent you two? Is this a joke?” The killer called out to them, seeming to slow down. Haise knew he was going to try something, and before his mind could process what was happening, he brought his knee up- hard.

The infamous and feared A Rated Ghoul, Tse Tse, was now writhing on the ground, clutching his crotch and screeching obscenities.

“I was beginning to wonder the same thing…” Haise responded.

“Wait, w-what the hell just happened?!” Shinobu stuttered, staring at the ghoul. Haise simply shrugged, kneeling down next to the pathetic mess of a person. He cracked open his briefcase, and before the other knew what was happening outside of the blow he received moments prior, Sasaki injected him with the RC suppressants. Quickly taking a handkerchief to the needle, he placed it back in his case and grabbed the cuffs. Misra walked over, still amazed, and helped snap them into place.

“Sweet damn, Sassan… I didn’t know you were Chuck Norris…”

“Only when I feel like it.” Haise smiled.

And of course, Shinobu burst into fitful laughter.

\---------------

The famous pair of Investigators had just finished turning Tse Tse over to the CCG, who would then transport him to, most likely, Cochlea. That was part of what Haise hated about this job; Cochlea was truly horrific, and he despised being the person responsible for anyone’s being there.

He hated it.

Why were things like this for ghouls? Sasaki didn’t think the way many ghouls conducted their work of surviving and keeping themselves alive was right, but… he wished there could be some sort of compromise. With all his heart.

Humans just as often do this just as, if not more heinous than ghouls, he thought. Why is there such a divide? Why must this... This segregation be so severe for people that were born like this?

**_Because we’re monsters_ ** _ , _ he said. He always seemed to show up at these bad moments, confirming Haise’s fears and opinions.  **_There is no such thing as “acceptance” or cuddles from society for monsters._ **

_ But… we’re not monsters… _

**_We are._ **

_ We are not. We are simply trying to keep ourselves alive, we can find compromises without hurting people! _

**_As long as you keep telling yourself that, you’ll be a blind fool, Haise. A fool._ **

“--Sasaki? Heeyyy, Saaaasaaaaakiiiiiiii!!!!”

Misra was sitting next to him in their taxi, nudging his shoulder and staring at him. Haise blinked and shook his head a bit. “Yes, Shino?

“You’re aliiiveeee!” They said dramatically, feigning a relieved sigh. Sasaki rolled his eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint. You’re not taking over my room just yet, Rank 2 Misra!”

“Boo. I was really getting excited for a moment there, Sassan! You’re so mean!”

The vehicle came to a stop; they were lucky to have found a taxi still running, since it was about... 4 AM?  Maybe 5? He quickly checked his watch before climbing out of the vehicle. 4:47. Jesus. Signing all of those verification papers and the process of turning Tse Tse in took forever… not to mention the report he had to complete before the morning’s briefing. 

They had arrived back at their upscale two-person loft in the Suburbs of Tokyo. Haise fumbled for his keys and unlocked the door, letting himself and Misra inside before locking it back from the inside.

The CCG really didn't hold out on this one; it had a beautiful view of the City, and spacious living areas for the two of them and visitors. It was truly a pleasure living there. They also provided food for the both of them- Misra got groceries, Sasaki got a small package once every month. Plus, lots of coffee. (It was crappy coffee, though.)

"Sweet dreams, Sasaki!" Shinobu called, slurring their words a bit from exhaustion. Their caramel brown skin still seemed to glow in the dim light of the approaching morning. "Don't expect to see me out of bed for at least two years."

"I'll wake you for coffee," Haise replied, giving the other a smile and a wink.

"Nooooooooooo......" Misra groaned, retreating to their room. With a soft shut, they was gone.

Sasaki already heard faint snores; he decided he should likely do the same. He didn't realize how tired he truly was until he had gotten back home.

 

Right as he collapsed onto his own bed, however,  _ he remembered the report he had to compose.  _

 

With a sigh and a yawn, he stood to go make the strongest coffee he could. 

\---------------

 

“Thanks to Rank One Sasaki and Rank Two Misra, the… well,  _ disruptive _ ghoul Tse Tse is no longer a problem. At precisely 0700 this morning, it was transported to Cochlea.” 

 

Sasaki couldn’t help but wince a bit at Washuu Matsuri’s use of ‘it’ in reference to Tse Tse. 

 

“In report, it claims that there was no physical conflict- except for a quick, debilitating blow that was inflicted on the ghoul. I think this was a very good tactic to use; I recommend the rest of you try your best to use this sort of strategy in future cases.” 

 

“Frickin Chuck Norris…” he heard Shinobu whisper. 

 

_ Goddammit, don’t make me laugh right now.  _

 

Akira Mado glanced over at Haise; she gave him a small smile, and a nod of approval. She looked… proud. 

 

“I believe we can now move on to our next topic. Any questions or comments?” 

 

The silence was the cue that the Washuu needed. He exhaled, and shuffling the papers that were neatly stacked in front of him, he passed a stack to the person next to him. A set of sheets stapled together were given to each person at the conference room’s table. 

 

Upon receiving his own, Haise scanned over the first paper quickly. It was a new case; an SS Rated Ghoul. They had an interesting title…

 

“Now, if you take a look at Page One, you can see we are dealing with a less simple case than normal. This is the SS Rated Cheetah. However, this case is a bit peculiar. Touchy. Rather than being a hunter and killer of civilians, it appears it targets human and ghoul criminals. It seems to pride itself on being a- well, vigilante of sorts.” 

 

_ How interesting… _

 

“But, the primary cause of this case’s sensitivity is the fact that we have reason to believe this was a prior CCG employee. Possibly affiliated with Doctor Kanou.” 

 

Haise narrowed his eyes. He’d heard the name Kanou, many times; he seemed to make humans half ghouls.

 

Like him.

 

“Now, we have attempted to narrow down two possibilities for whom this could be. Our candidates are currently Takizawa Seidou, and Nagachika Hideyoshi- both lost in the Aogiri raid a few years ago.” 

 

All of a sudden, Haise’s head throbbed. It felt almost as if it were bursting--- 

 

**_Let me see him it’s him it’shimit’shimit’shimgive i t b a c k_ **

 

Shit, this was bad. 

 

“Now, if you’ll turn the page, you will read-” 

 

“-Mr. Washuu, apologies for the interruption, but if you’ll excuse me just a moment.” 

 

**_G I V E_ **

 

Before Matsuri could respond, Haise was already gone. 

  
  


**_I T_ **

 

Running down the hall, he shoved the door to the restroom open-- 

 

**_B A C K_ **

 

\--And fumbled for the tiny, discreet bottle of pills that resided in his pocket. 

 

**_IHAVETOPROTECTHIMYOUDONTUNDERSTAND_ **

 

Quickly shoving a handful into his mouth- he didn’t bother to count them- 

 

**_PLEASE_ **

 

\--And he washed them down quickly. 

 

The pade faded away, and his stomach calmed itself. Haise, chest heaving, threw the now empty container into the trash. He checked himself in the mirror, fixed his hair, and tossed some water into his face. 

 

It was alright. He was gone. 

 

**_Please…_ **

 

At least, as gone as he ever could be.  

 

Haise straightened his tie, and walked back to the Conference room. 

 

_ Whoever this person is… must be important. To you. I’ll do my best.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That was a ride XD Got any theories or criticism? Please comment!  
> Also, Shinobu Misra is my OC. They're Sasaki's partner, and they coined the name "Sassan". They're non-binary, and mixed racial; indian and japanese. :D  
> Hope you like them and this chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a bunch for the feedback on the last chapter! :D  
> Special thanks to Hinata2kill for betaing!

HAISE

  
  


He’d been sitting in his study for the last few hours, reviewing the files regarding the Cheetah case. It was certainly a unique situation; with the possibility this was a prior employee for a company tasked with the hunting of ghouls.

  
  


According to the report, two staff members (with different rankings) were known to have been involved in the raid on Anteiku, two years prior; however, they had never resurfaced afterwards, and since their bodies were never found, they were simply presumed MIA-- missing in action.

  
  


And the infamous Ghoul Doctor, Kanou, was now known for kidnapping people who were rendered defenseless and injured. In the past, he had somehow weaseled his way into the Hospitals, getting himself a job as a surgeon for people who were on the brink of death. One case that he didn’t know much about (it was extremely confidential, not exposed information for people of his ranking), yet heard small bits and pieces about in the hallways, was apparently quite messy. A human, who’d been in an incident about four years ago, was turned into a ghoul and went insane.

  
  


**_Fucked up, isn’t it?_ **

  
  


Haise simply ignored him, and carried on with his research.

  
  


If this hunch that the CCG had was true, how come Cheetah was only targeting villainous individuals? They- it seemed to be a he- were quite humane in their tactics; swiftly imposing a fatal blow to his opponent, then consuming parts of them for sustenance. Haise saw no appearance of insanity- at least with the information he had.

  
  


If this was Kanou’s doing… why was Cheetah not insane? Was the case a few years ago brought to a state of mental instability from another cause? A separate catalyst?

  
  


A quiet knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. _Please don’t ask about today..._

  
  


“Yes, yes, come in,” Haise called, turning the page.

  
  


“Hey, Sasaki,” Shinobu said. Haise turned to look at them, standing in the doorway, holding two mugs of coffee and a folder under their arm. They were donning some professional-looking bunny slippers, and an Axis Powers Hetalia tee-shirt. “It’s two-thirty in the morning, but I’m not going to mother you or something because I’m awake too--” They shifted a bit, trying to keep the full cups from spilling over. “--anyway, I brought some coffee and I thought I’d share a couple things with you that I discovered from the Cheetah file…”

  
  


Haise smiled at his subordinate kindly, and rose to take a mug from him and sit it on his desk. Pulling a reading chair from next to his window, he gestured for Shinobu to come and sit. “That’s a great idea. I could use another mind for this text; plus, how’d you know I was thinking about coffee?”

  
  


Misra grinned, and plopped down next to Sasaki. Opening their file to the sixth page, they gestured to a couple of neon-pink sticky notes with hastily written comments.

“So, I was reading, you know, and I saw-” they stopped themselves to take a quick sip of coffee. They muttered a quick ‘damn that’s good stuff’ before returning to the document. “-like, I saw this: ‘Cheetah appears to focus its attention on perpetrators who sadistically cause their victims unnecessary pain; primarily kidnappers.’ And I just found that really interesting because, what if this has something to do with a person they know? Or knew? What if this has to do with being kidnapped by Kanou? Either way, they’re really amazing to be honest because they’ve saved a lot of people--”

  
  


Haise tapped a pen on the table between his fingers, and reached to drink his coffee.

  
  


“--including my-- _sibling_. Brother.”

  
  


And he choked on it, coughing a bit before returning to look at Shinobu. “Wait, what? Your brother was kidnapped? You have a brother?” Sasaki was confused for a moment. He really didn’t know much about Misra… or something wasn’t matching up.

  
  


“Y-yep. Saved from some… some damn filthy bastard- human- that put him in the hospital for weeks, and years of therapy--” Shinobu clenched their fists tightly for a moment, exhaled, and carried on. “But that’s beside the point. ‘’Anyway, I know this is the ghoul because a year and a half ago, a couple weeks after _he_ disappeared, they brought him home- I’m sure he’s a guy- Cheetah. I saw him. And this description of his appearance? It’s definitely the same ghoul.”

  
  


Shinobu sighed, and stared at their paper. “I need to meet him, and thank him. Like, we have to find some way to recruit him or something?”

  
  


Sasaki nodded. “Actually, I think that’s what the plan is. To try and convince Cheetah to share his talents with the CCG.”

  
  


Shinobu sighed in relief, and took another drink of coffee before moving on to the next point.

  
  


\---------------

A couple hours of information swapping, discussing, reading, and drinking coffee (with _mayyybe_ a couple games of Crossy Road in between), the two investigators yawned simultaneously and stretched.

  
  


“So now, we have our facts,” Haise began, reading off the bullet points in his notebook. “We believe that Cheetah, ex CCG employee, is hunting for vengeance- and, since we have no evidence of Kanou being a torturing, sadistic maniac, we think that this is for someone he was once affiliated with.”

  
  


“-and after reading Takizawa Seidou’s files, we saw nothing- at least, nothing recorded- of him being the vengeful type with some lost love or something who was kidnapped. And after checking Nagachika’s files…”

  
  


“Seeing his mysterious and sudden abandonment of college and the tips he’d given in the past… it appears more likely for this to be Hideyoshi, rather than Seidou.”

  
  


Shinobu beamed with a tired, yet still proud, grin. Haise simply took his glasses off and yawned, looking into the empty cup.

  
  


“I didn’t know you were so good at the art of brewing, Misra…”

  
  


“I’ve had plenty of time to observe you, Sassan!”

  
  


Haise smiled, closing his folder and straightening his desk up a bit. Always so concerned about perfect organization. “We should get some sleep. Full day tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll take care of the mugs in the morning, okay?”

  
  


“Alright. Thanks for inviting me in, Haise.” Shino grinned as they stood from their chair, gathering their belongings.

  
  


“Of course. It was a pleasure talking with you; a second perspective truly helps with these sorts of cases.”

  
  


As Shinobu began walking towards the door, Haise knew he had to ask. Carefully.

  
  


“Shino… Do you really have a brother?”

  
  


Stopping abruptly, the platinum haired individual said nothing for a moment. Stiffening up.

  
They shook their head, still not turning to look at their superior. “No… no, I do not.”

  
  


As the door shut softly, Haise pushed his hair from his face and stood to go and collapse onto his bed. Shuffling into the fluffy cocoon of blankets and pillows, he closed his eyes.

  
  


What had they gone through in that time? Shino usually pretty straightforward, but… huh.

  
  


_Thank you, Cheetah._

  
  


**_Always thinking of others- to his own detriment. It’s part of what I’ve always loved about him, Haise._ **

  
  


**_You have to protect him. Or I will._ **

  
  


\---------------

  
  


_The scent of cherry blossoms carrying through the air. A few birds, drifting along the endless reaches of the soft blue sky, and petals drifting lazily, a deep cerulean--_

  
  


_And kind, yet wistful eyes. A honey brown shade, with a light twinkle._

  
  
  


_(Full of love.)_

  
  


_(And longing, as well.)_

  
  


_Dimpled cheeks dusted with a light blush, and a freckled nose._

  
  


_Two arms, pulling him into a warm embrace--_

  
  


_“I miss you, Ken--”_

  
  


\---------------

  
  


Haise woke with tears in his eyes.

  
  


**_I… I miss you as well._ **

  
  


\---------------

  
  


He simply lay there a while, contemplating the dream he’d just had, and the relation he had to the voice that regularly plagued his thoughts.

  
  


\---------------

  
  


The blaring sound of the opening lines for Marukaite Chikyuu- even from down the hall- removed him from his thoughts. _Why did Shino even have that god-forsaken song as the first thing they heard in the morning…??_

  
  


_“Ne ne papa wain wo choudai--”_

  
  


And, a loud groan.

  
  


“Oh my god WHY IS THIS EVEN MY ALARM JESUS--”

  
  


\---------------

  
  


“Shino,” Haise began, grabbing a coffee filter. “Why on earth would you choose the Hetalia theme song for an alarm? Is that really the first thing you want to hear in the morning?”

  
  


“Shhhh, it’s called Marukaite Chikyuu, thank you very much. And no it is not, but since I’m still a terrible otaku, I will keep it for as long as I live.”

  
  


“Well, if you’re going to keep that monstrosity, then I’ll find the opening for Love Live and blast it at 4 am.”

  
  


“You’re not _that_ cruel, Sassan.”

  
  


“Are you sure about that?” He grinned.

  
  


“Please, I’ll do anything. I’ll even make that one song you like my alarm for a month if you spare me from that cruel fate.”

  
  


“Massugu na omoi…”

  
  


“Oh, god, stop it, please.”

  
  


“-minna o musubu…”

  
  


“Ears, I’m so sorry.”

  
  


“honki demo bukiyou butsukariau kokoro, sore demo mitai yo ookina yume wa~”

  
  


“Saaassaaaaaaannnnn…”

  
  


Haise laughed, when suddenly his own phone’s ringtone went off.

  
  


“ _Oshiete, oshiete yo--_ ”

  
  


Quickly pulling the device out, he accepted the call before even checking who it was calling him. “-Sasaki Haise speaking.”

  
  


“Haise--”

  
  


Oh, he knew that voice. It was Special Class Arima Kishou; and judging by the urgency in his tone, he could tell something was terribly wrong.

  
  


“Alert Rank Two Misra and come to Headquarters immediately. An urgent case has come up and we need all the investigators we can get-- Do not take the trains.”  

  
  


Before he could respond, the call was ended.

  
  


“Shino, gather your things. Something’s come up.”

  
  


“What is it...?”

  
  


“I’m… I’m not sure, to be honest. I think it has something to do with the trains.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohohoh dear. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, critisms, theories or just wanna tell me something, please feel free to leave a comment- don't be shy! :D


End file.
